And why would that make a difference, and what would the difference be?

brew the same beer twice - once with american 2-row, once with MO - certainly not scientific due to all the other variables, but you'll get a good comparison.

Oh, I'm well aware of the flavor differences. What I'm trying to grok is _why_ there are flavor differences. Is it simply the variety of barley? If so, why isn't MO grown in the states? And what does floor malting add to it that other types of malting don't? There's so much that homebrewers accept just because "somebody said so"....I want to know why!

Oh, I'm well aware of the flavor differences. What I'm trying to grok is _why_ there are flavor differences. Is it simply the variety of barley? If so, why isn't MO grown in the states? And what does floor malting add to it that other types of malting don't? There's so much that homebrewers accept just because "somebody said so"....I want to know why!

was only having a little fun with you - I knew that's what you meant .

however, to me its analagous to rotisserie chicken (modern malting methods) vs. pan roasted chicken (floor malting) - both can start with the same raw materials, use the same temperature and cook time, but they end up tasting different - perhaps not drastically, but somewhat. Certainly, this isn't the best analogy, but it sorta works in my noggin.

as was said, growing conditions cause a lot of difference, even with the same species of barley. Similar to: I know people who swear they can taste the difference in steak from Nebraska vs. Texas (I can't, but you get the idea).

The process the malt goes through doesn't concern me, only what tastes best. In my IPA I've tried 6 different base malts over the years, but I found the MO based ones were the best end results, that's all I need to know -

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after doing a batch with MO and with Am pale have a number of folks taste or else have someone blindfold you to eliminate any subjectivity.My professional brewer friends here feel there is NO difference between UK and US pale;they have no experience with MO...which brings me to a tangent...one of the traditional "great" brewing books is by Wheeler and Protz and IMHO all they do is to use essentially the same recipes changing only the brand of pale malt which doesn't help me since I buy by the sack and usually have limited choices

Denny, It may relate to "provenance". England is famous for those chalk cliffs at Dover, as well as that hard, gypsum-rich water IPA's are famous for. It just may be that the local environment, geology, hydrology and other factors in their malt growning regions have a (biochemical) effect on the malt grown there. This could help explain why my english beers brewed with MO taste so darn "English" in terms of malt profile. Its all two row malt, but English seems to make a difference.... Australian wines made of Rhone style grapes (shiraz, voigner, cabernet, merlot, etc.) taste Australian, not French. Why don't grocers sell endive from the US... its always Belgian. Some products with specific provenance have desirable characteristics over similar products with different provenance. From my last couple years of experimentation, I have settled on using english malts for my bitters and english style pale ales... I am less convinced the difference is discernable with porters and stouts. I tend to buy both american and english pale malt if my budget can afford both, I have had good results duplicating some english styles by replacing a portion of american pale with victory malt to get some of the bready/biscuity flavors, but its not exactly the same.

I've had pretty good luck replicating the flavor of MO (and even Golden Promise) with Great Western pale malt. I understand what you;re saying about the "provenance/terroir" thing, too.

I was wondering if anybody would mention GP since its supposed to be even better than MO. Personally, I think American 2 row is better in American beer but I can't be sure yet... still messing with MO, GP, 2 row and Pils. They all work, just depends on what you want out of your beer I guess. Honestly I think one of the best APA's or IPA's I've brewed was Great Western 2-row I bought from B3 but I wasn't impressed when I found a small stone in the grain while I was grinding, still I do think it made the best American brew yet. Jmo...